I knew nothing about Shochu prior to joining the team at Biwa, but now have a thorough appreciation for it.  Shochu is made from a variety of base materials such as cereal grains, root vegetables, rice, sugar and molasses. While the production of artisanal Shochu in Japan is concentrated in the south, it is also made in Okinawa—called Awamori and considered a superior style—and Korea, called Soju. In fact, the number one selling distilled brand in the world is not Smirnoff or Bacardi, but Jinro from Korea. Above are my four favorites, list below in tasting notes 7, 8, 9 & 10.

Shochu’s uniqueness
All distillates are made from fermented liquids. This means that for grain and other starchy base materials, carbohydrates must be converted to sugar before fermentation begins. Shochu is unique compared to its European cousins insofar as the breakdown of the starch is completed by the same mold responsible for sake production, Koji (aspergillus oryzae). With the presence of sugar, fermentation begins, which brings us to another unique attribute for Shochu production. The beverage typically undergoes only one distillation, in comparison to the double pot still distillations of Single Malt Scotch whisky, Cognac, Calvados and the like, or the continuous distillations of vodka and gin. This means the base material [be it: sweet potato, rice, buckwheat, barley, etc.] has a great effect on the flavor of the final product.  Single-distillation also creates a beverage with a lower alcohol by volume [abv].  Any aficionados of drinking straight spirits should enjoy Shochu.  Here are my tasting notes on the ten artisanal Shochu we carry at Biwa to be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, or mixed with a little hot water.

1 Awa No Kaori, 20% abv [prefecture: Tokushima]
bouquet- lime , lemon oil, tangerine; palate- clean, light, tangy, no heat; made from molasses and sudachi lime

2 Kakushigura, 24% abv [prefecture: Kagoshima, Southern Japan]
bouquet- almost rum-like with butter, brine and burnt sugar; palate-unctuous, Kaffir lime, light vanilla, more reminiscent of tequila; single-distilled barley

3 Shiranami, pictured third from the left, 25% abv [prefecture: Kagoshima, Southern Japan]
bouquet- cereal grain, kitchen-cabinet-cupboard, corn chip, lime skin and pith; palate- expansive, potato/corn chip with lime, pithy bitter, slight heat, finishes with prune; single-distilled sweet potato [83%] and rice [17%]

4 Jougo, 24% abv [prefecture: Kagoshima, Southern Japan]
bouquet- lime oil, fresh linen, tangerine pith, green plum skin, rain leaf; palate- very unctuous, sweet-ish, smooth and clean with a little heat at the end; single-distilled sugar cane [60%] and rice [40%]

5 Iichiko, 25% abv [prefecture: Oita, Southern Japan]
bouquet- perfumey, grappa-like with toasted grain nuance; palate- rich and clean; single-distilled barley

6 Hakutake, 25% abv [prefecture: Kumamoto, Southern Japan]
bouquet- floral, sake-like, banana leaf; palate- very pretty, floral, perfumey with a long graceful finish; single-distilled rice

7 Ikkomon, 25% abv [prefecture: Kagoshima, Southern Japan]
bouquet- tequila-like, saline, floral; palate- Kaffir lime, Meyer lemon, salty, vanilla, long finish; single-distilled sweet potato

8 Kurokame, 25% abv [prefecture: Kagoshima, Southern Japan]
bouquet- tequila-like, floral, limey and briny; palate- sweet, rich, lime, brine, gardenia, prune; fermentation of sweet potato takes place in large porcelain pot, then single-distilled

9 Gankotsuoh, 25%abv [prefecture: Oita, Southern Japan]
bouquet- sake-like, banana leaf, floral, egg shell, persimmon; palate- pretty, light, soft and long; single-distilled rice, then matured in porcelain pots, stored in a cave

10 Towari, 25% abv [prefecture: Oita, Southern Japan]
bouquet- toasted grain, brine, potato skin, sprouts, perfume; palate- rich, soba noodle, lime, grass, carrot, yam; single-distilled buckwheat

Anthony Garcia
http://twitter.com/wineisdivine

Ah, delicious Chinon! Les Galuches 2009 from J-M Raffault is clear, day bright, solid ruby in color with a slight purple hue, has medium concentration, clear to light fuchsia rim variation, medium-plus viscosity with an ever so slight staining of the tears. The nose has moderate intensity and is youthful. The fruit spectrum represents tart red cherry, cranberry, tart blackberry. The non-fruits are green tea leaf, green peppercorn, black tea, spring foliage stem, fern leaf and a hint of yellow flowers. Oak’s not a factor in this wine, it’s rather neutral, but the minerals are a noticeable wet stone to dry gravel.

The wine is dry with medium-plus body and displays its youthfulness. The fruit is tart on the palate with a smidge of suppleness emerging. The non-fruit flavors are firmly in the pyrazine camp coupled to its dominant mineral profile. There is also a hint of underbrush, necco-wafer-candy-dustiness and black currant. The acid is high; tannins are an inside-cheek-gum grabbing medium-plus; the wine has 13% abv. A nice wine for $15 retail [Liner & Elsen].

Although these notes are mine, I enjoyed watching Erica nail this in blind tasting group this morning. By the time I got a chance to sink my teeth into it, the wine had been open for six hours with a half bottle air gap. This is a clear indication the wine will benefit from decanting.  Eat it with something meaty and fried!

Anthony Garcia
http://twitter.com/wineisdivine

One of my new favorites from Germany, this Schwarzbier, a black lager, looks mean and tastes clean. The color is opaque black with a quickly dissipating, light caramel head; the effervescence is high. The nose is hazelnut, roasted coffee bean, old maid popcorn kernel, dried orange peel, honey, copper and malt ball candy. On the tongue, it’s a bit of an anomaly as roasted flavors are married to a very refreshing, crisp lightness with a moderate 4.9% abv. In addition, the palate expands to include nuances of honeysuckle, bee pollen, and pecan shell. The beer is devoid of fruity flavors except the dried orange peel, which lightly permeates the nose and palate. The finish is smooth and long with notes of hazelnut and honeycomb. This is a session beer, if ever there was one!

Köstritzer has been making beer since 1543. Nice.

Anthony Garcia
http://twitter.com/wineisdivine

On sight, the Hubert Lapierre Moulin-à-Vent Cuvée Vieilles Vignes is day bright with medium concentration; the color is ruby red with a slight purple hue, displaying moderate-plus tears with barely a stain. The wine’s robe is watery to light fuchsia. The bouquet is youthful with moderate-plus intensity, offering ripe red cherry, ripe strawberry, cola and cherry compote. There’s a hint of white pepper and textbook granite [wet pavement] minerality with a smidge of cherry blossom.

The palate is delightful, rich and velvety, solidly medium-bodied, giving moderate to moderate-plus acidity and moderate to almost moderate-plus tannin. The red fruits and stony minerality come through with an added strawberry rhubarb pie essence emerging; the white pepper and cola notes remain.  This is a very sumptuous style of Beaujolais where the tannins are just a little higher than you’d expect and the acid’s just a touch lower.

The wine benefited from a decant and was enjoyed with Anne’s potato leek soup and root vegetable hash.

Anthony Garcia
http://twitter.com/wineisdivine